Research
Explore our library of research products including academic publications, reports on research and outcomes, policy briefs, videos of webinars, animations, and more. Research products are organized by initiative and/or by type, with the most recent items at the top of the list. Search by topic with the search bar at the top of the page.
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November 2023Resources for Stepping Up and in-jail behavioral health programmingStepping Up seeks to bolster cross-systems collaboration and build out community-based services and supports to reduce incarceration and reincarceration, respond effectively to people in crisis, and ultimately prevent contact with the justice system in the first place. This list seeks to provide resources for community partners receiving Stepping Up Technical Assistance from the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice in their work to implement in-jail behavioral health programming.DiversionResource -
June 2023Summer 2023 NewsletterSchool of Social Work Dean and Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Founding Director Sheryl Kubiak is among the activists and artists featured in the Free Your Mind: Art and Incarceration in Michigan exhibition, on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD); Risk-Needs-Responsivity intervention for youth justice; and more.DiversionReentryTreatment ecosystemsYouth justiceCrisis responseNewsletter
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March 2023The impact of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training on police use of forceThis study examined the level of force used by Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and non-CIT officers responding to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis (N = 382). Level of force was coded using National Institute of Justice (2009) strategy, least to most lethal. Analyses examined differences in officers’ use of force by CIT-training status and citizen characteristics. Results indicated CIT-trained officers were less likely to use any level of force and more likely to use the lowest level of force, compared to non-CIT-trained officers. CIT-trained officers were significantly less likely to escalate to higher levels of force, utilizing the lowest level of force more often.DiversionPublication
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November 2022Assessing County Level Behavioral Health and Justice Systems with the Sequential Intercept Model Practices, Leadership, and Expertise ScorecardThe Sequential Intercept Model has helped conceptualize interventions for people with serious mental illness in the criminal/legal system. This paper operationalizes the Sequential Intercept Model into a 35-item scorecard of behavioral health and legal practices. Using interviews, survey, and observational methods, the scorecard assesses an exploratory sample of 19 counties over 27 independent data collections. A series of ordinary least squares regression models assessed the predictor scores on four jail outcomes: prevalence of serious mental illness, length of stay, connections to treatment, and recidivism. Increases in pre-booking scores showed significant decreases in jail prevalence of serious mental illness at the p < 0.05 level, and post-booking scores and overall scores showed significant positive associations with connections to treatment at the p < 0.05 level, though these were non-significant after correcting for multiple comparisons. Preliminary findings suggest a combination of practices across the Sequential Intercept Model could have synergistic impacts on key jail diversion outcomes.DiversionPublication
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July 2022Summer 2022 NewsletterThis special edition newsletter is focused on assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), and the release of the AOT toolkit. In partnership with Michigan's Mental Health Diversion Council, the CBHJ has launched an AOT Toolkit designed to provide resources needed for effective AOT programs. Many individuals living with serious mental illness do not adhere to treatment recommendations, increasing their risk for high utilization of ERs, frequent contact with law enforcement, and more. AOT is a legal mechanism for providing outpatient treatment to individuals living with severe mental illness whose non-adherence places them at risk for negative outcomes.DiversionReentryTreatment ecosystemsYouth justiceWayne County jail/mental health initiativeNewsletter
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May 2022Formalizing advisory boards to facilitate criminal legal system changeFacilitating meaningful, long-lasting change at the intersection of the behavioral health and criminal legal systems is a community-wide effort that requires dedicated leaders with a clear, shared vision. Many communities have multiple groups working toward similar goals, often overlapping efforts and expending scarce resources. Creating a formal advisory board provides a framework to engage, develop, and sustain effective change across systems, bridging communication between siloed groups. Bringing leaders together through a formal advisory board is a practical approach to improving the experiences of individuals with behavioral health concerns who encounter the criminal legal system.DiversionWayne County jail/mental health initiativePolicy brief
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April 2022County Jails' Responses to COVID-19: Practices, Procedures, and Provisions of Behavioral Health ServicesThis exploratory, mixed-methods study describes 20 county jails' responses to the pandemic across Michigan and presents a case study of one rural jail to examine changes in booking trends and behavioral health needs and services. Qualitatively, jails decreased their population at the outset of the pandemic via early releases, reconsideration of bond, and reductions in arrests. Quantitatively, the greatest prevalence of serious mental illness was found during the spring (initial shutdown period), which had the lowest weekly booking rates. Bookings occurring during the spring were significantly related to felony charges and drug/alcohol charges while individuals were less frequently booked because of violations. Past year recidivism significantly decreased from the winter to summer phase. Policy should mandate that jails screen for behavioral health problems and provide access to behavioral health services, while also expanding diversion opportunities during and after a pandemic. Innovations in continuity of care are critical for both behavioral and public health needs given the high risk for suicide, overdose, and viral spread after release from jail.DiversionPublication
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March 2022Cross-systems data integration in Michigan countiesData integration brings together information from multiple sources to enhance collective knowledge among community partners, increase data-driven decision-making and foster continued collaboration across community systems. By building a sustainable data system and technical infrastructure, stakeholders can routinely track and report on outcomes of interest including prevalence of persons with behavioral health concerns in the jail, length of jail stay, connections to mental health and substance abuse treatment, and recidivism.DiversionPolicy brief
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March 2022Data Integration in Michigan Counties Lunch and LearnOne component of the technical assistance the CBHJ provides focuses on the utilization of cross-systems community data to track progress on an on-going basis - a process referred to as data integration. County data integration systems bring together information from multiple sources, including community behavioral health and criminal legal, to generate regular reports that provide stakeholders with updates on key measures that define progress such as prevalence of mental illness in jails.DiversionVideo
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January 2022Interdisciplinary Partnerships Series: Center for Behavioral Health and JusticeThis webinar is part four of the Interdisciplinary Partnership Series hosted by the Mental Health Diversion Council Mental Health Partnership and Collaboration Webinar Series. Topics covered in this webinar include: overview and history of the Center of Behavioral Health and Justice, examination of Michigan’s crisis response systems, the Stepping Up, initiative and the County Data Dashboard.DiversionCrisis responseVideo
